November 5th is fast approaching, so it's time to get the sheep glammed up before introducing them to our five rams.

Feet are trimmed and cleaned, and their wool is tidied up.

 

Of course, when you're trimming their feet, you have to be careful that the ewe doesn't kick out, and send the trimmers flying up in the air, only for them to come flying back down and impale themselves into your arm.  Which is what Jonathan did, which is why we are now back and forth to the surgery, collecting dressings and antibiotics.

Still, they've managed to sort out about 125 of the ewes in two days, even with the interruptions, and the rams are showing a lot of interest in the ewes, if only from the other side of the fence.

I had quite a nice surprise this morning - I couldn't bare to look at the pumpkin patch since I discovered that my lovely big pumpkin had been hit by the one-off frost we had a couple of weeks ago, and had completely rotted.

Well, yesterday a couple of ladies and I were looking at my Cosmos, which is refusing to die this year

and I really thought I should go and sort out the dreaded pumpkin patch.

Well, all the little ones were completely fine, and I think they are really pretty.  Jonathan asked what I was going to do with them and obviously I'm going to make a lovely Hallowe'en arrangement with them - or at least put a few out on the bench with the big one from Tesco's!

However warm it is, we really are in the middle of Autumn, and I've had some lovely walks with the dogs this week, in wind and rain, and Millie has loved sniffing through all the fallen leaves.

First Days of Spring

The first day of spring was followed by a beautiful sunny Sunday.  After I'd planted some seeds (Sweet Peas, Foxy Foxgloves, and Cosmos), I went in to do some ironing but looked out of the kitchen window and decided to have a cup of tea outside instead.

It all had a real feel of re-awakening.  The geese were happy,

the rams were happy,

the chickens were happy.

In fact, the big grey one is starting to annoy me a bit.  He keeps eating eggs.  You are supposed to fill an empty shell with mustard so I duly filled one with mustard and curry powder and put it in the chicken house......she ate the whole thing....so that didn't work.

Everything is starting to bud.  The willows at the bottom have a green haze over them where the leaves are starting to come (they are always first) and the dogwood that Belinda gave me which is outside the workshop is really coming on

Then, just before it was time to come in, Reuben started making friends with the ram

Then last night we went to the first Ale of the year, hosted by a side called Cornucopia, and danced the night a way....

Five different styles!